After 14 years of angry exchanges, abusive tweets and the occasional flying fist, Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson appear to have finally put their bitter feud behind them.

Although he once described his relationship with the Top Gear presenter as 'pure war', Morgan last night posted a picture on Twitter showing the pair arm-in-arm and grinning into the camera.

Initially uploaded with the caption 'Peace!', Morgan later re-posted the image with the phrase 'Alcohol was consumed', suggesting the reconciliation may have taken place during a drinking session.

Buried the hatchet: Although he once described his relationship with Jeremy Clarkson (right) as 'pure war', Piers Morgan (left) has posted a picture on Twitter showing the pair arm-in-arm and grinning into the camera

The photograph was taken earlier this week after the pair bumped into each other at a public house in Kensington, west London.

Clarkson's only response to Morgan sharing the photograph so far has been a retweet of a message posted by his daughter, Emily, saying: 'There has been a serious disruption to the force.'

The apparent burying of the hatchet comes as something of a surprise as their feud seemed as bitter as ever as recently as last month.

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When Clarkson became embroiled in a race row after appearing to use n-word during a video recording, Morgan called for him to be sacked by the BBC.

Saying Top Gear had been 'laced with casual racism for years', Morgan openly questioned how the taxpayer-funded organisation could justify keeping him in a job.

Clarkson versus Morgan: A history of their 14-year feud

Round one: November 2000

Piers Morgan is editor of the Daily Mirror when he receives a set of paparazzi photos claiming to show Clarkson in an embrace with TV producer Elaine Bedell.

At this point the two men are still on good terms.

So, by his own account, Morgan calls Clarkson and offers to make light of the snaps if Clarkson will co-operate.

Clarkson claims Bedell is just a friend and, according to Morgan, adds: ‘I’m not physically capable of having an affair. You can ask my wife.’

Morgan publishes the pictures anyway. Clarkson is not happy.

Finally friends? The apparent burying of the hatchet comes as something of a surprise as the feud between Piers Morgan (left) and Jeremy Clarkson (right) seemed as bitter as ever as recently as last month

Round two: May 2002

Morgan meets Clarkson and his wife Frances at a wedding. They both attack him for publishing the pictures of Clarkson and Bedell. Morgan, amazingly, apologises and says he’s sure the pictures were perfectly innocent.

Clarkson is delighted. ‘Let’s put it behind us, shall we?’ he says. And they do. But not for long.

Round three: October 2002

A new set of pictures is taken showing Clarkson embracing Elaine Bedell again. Clarkson again claims the embrace is innocent, asking to talk to Morgan. ‘I don’t want to talk to him,’ Morgan tells an aide.

‘I can’t keep bailing him out with the same woman. I believed him last time and he was obviously lying then.’ The pictures are printed. Now the fight really begins.

Round four: October 2003The supersonic passenger jet Concorde makes its final scheduled flight for British Airways from New York to London. Among the celebrities onboard are, yes, Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson.

Despite the fact that Clarkson has told other passengers that Morgan ‘is a little ****’ and he’s going to ‘punch his lights out,’ BA put Clarkson in the seat directly in front of Morgan. As Clarkson takes his seat he says, ‘Oh, ******* hell, I’ve got a **** behind me.’

Clarkson then tips a glass of water over Morgan, much to the amusement of fellow passengers, including Joan Collins and Jodie Kidd.

Later Clarkson calls Morgan while the latter is chauffeured back from Heathrow. ‘This is all getting very silly. Let’s put it behind us. Please,’ he says. But is the feud put behind them? Not for long.

Encounter: The supersonic passenger jet Concorde makes its final scheduled flight for British Airways from New York to London. Among the celebrities onboard are, yes, Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson

Round five: March 2004

Morgan and Clarkson both attend the British Press Awards. A thoroughly refreshed Clarkson makes his way to the table where Morgan, who has just begun his TV career alongside editing the Daily Mirror, is sitting.

‘Now that you’re in my world of telly, I can tell you you’re ****,’ the Top Gear star remarks.

A heated conversation ensues, in which Morgan sees Frances Clarkson, staring daggers at him from her table. ‘Why does your wife always blame me for everything you do?’ he asks.

Clarkson is outraged. He swings a right hook at Morgan, followed by more blows, hitting Morgan’s temple and forehead.

The following day, Morgan tells reporters: ‘He then tried to headbutt me — missing my nose by about an inch. I think it’s fair to say he was a little inebriated. I’ve frankly taken worse batterings from my three-year-old son.’

Clarkson admits: ‘He’s won really. This is just one in a long line of clashes. We’ll have to kiss and make up.’

Round six: April 2004

Clarkson appears on Michael Parkinson’s TV show, revealing the misshapen fourth finger on his right hand that he damaged during the fist fight with Morgan.

‘I don’t get on with Piers Morgan, so I punched him,’ Clarkson says, adding, ‘Every woman I meet asks me, “Why did you hit him?” And every man asks, “Where did you hit him?”’

Round seven: September 2005

Morgan, now having left newspapers, publishes his bestselling memoir The Insider.

Clarkson makes several appearances in the book, with plenty of sneery putdowns.

For example, having described the water-throwing incident aboard Concorde, and Clarkson’s attempt at reconciliation afterwards, Morgan adds, ‘I’d have respected him more if he’d rung to say, “there’s plenty more coming your way, you ****.” This was the worst kind of cowardly grovelling.’

Morgan tells all: In 2005, having left the newspaper industry, Morgan published his bestselling memoir The Insider (right). Clarkson (left) makes several appearances in the book, with plenty of sneery putdowns

Morgan wanders over to say hello, then realises there is someone else at the table: Jeremy Clarkson. The restaurant falls silent. Clarkson mouths the silent words, ‘Oh ****.’ Kemp holds his head in his hands.

Then Clarkson adds, perceptively: ‘You know, other people always tell me that we’re quite similar. In different circumstances we might have been friends.’

He is right. The two men are both big-mouthed, big-headed, bombastic, often boorish and infuriating. And one can’t help wondering: isn’t there something just a little too intense about the obsession each of them has with the other?

Round eight: March 2009

For years an eerie peace has hung over the Clarkson-Morgan battlefield. Morgan has spent much of his time in the U.S., appearing as a judge on America’s Got Talent.

But when he returns to England to promote his ITV chat show and a new book, his obsession with Clarkson remains undimmed.

‘I like waging feuds,’ he tells a newspaper interviewer, claiming, in words that would surely interest any psychiatrist: ‘They get me going and make me perform better.’

Calm: In the late-2000s, an eerie peace hung over the Clarkson-Morgan battlefield. Morgan had spent much of his time in the U.S., appearing as a judge on America's Got Talent (pictured)

Round nine: December 2012

In the wake of the shooting of 20 schoolchildren and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Morgan calls for a gun ban.

Outraged by this slur on their constitutional right under the Second Amendment to blast each other to smithereens, more than 100,000 Americans sign a petition calling for his deportation.

Clarkson is appalled, and at 1.27pm on Christmas Eve, he interrupts his family celebrations to tweet: ‘Americans. It took us 40 years to get rid of Piers Morgan. Please don’t send him back.’

Having reignited a more-or-less dormant feud, Clarkson tweets again: ‘Americans. Was the second amendment not introduced to protect you from the tyranny of the British? Piers Morgan in other words.’

Then, apparently having encouraged America to use deadly weapons against Morgan, he toddles off to enjoy the rest of his Christmas.

Round ten: October 12, 2013

In another interview, Morgan tells a lengthy anecdote about being in conversation with Justin Timberlake, Samuel L. Jackson and Get Lucky singer Pharrell Williams at the GQ awards.

Clarkson then walked past: ‘I shake his hand and it’s all very civilised,’ Morgan recounts.

‘And he sees these luminaries who clearly have absolutely no idea who he is, and I just give him the eye.

‘It was time for Jeremy to exit stage left. This was a big-pond quartet. And he just shuffled off meekly.’

Round 11: October 27, 2013

Clarkson has waited more than two weeks to strike back at Morgan. But now he tweets a picture of his nemesis, with the words: ‘What a monumental **** this man is. I cannot wait for the day he goes to prison.’

Two hours later Morgan fires back, ‘You had your chance — unfortunately you punch like a muscle-depleted chihuahua. So pipe down, you gnarled old fool.’ And later: ‘I wonder if poor old Jeremy Clarkson’s little hissy fit today is connected to Top Gear’s disintegrating ratings & rumours it may be axed?’

And again: ‘Remember, Jeremy Clarkson wanted striking nurses to be “shot . . . execute them in front of their families”. Lovely man.’

And, later still: ‘Being called a monumental **** by a racist pot-bellied pig Jeremy Clarkson who wants nurses executed is the purest definition of irony.’

Competitive: The pair have regularly exchanged words on Twitter, often arguing about who has the more successful career

Finally Clarkson gets a tweet in edgeways: ‘Last time I saw Piers Morgan, he was at a party listening to Samuel L Jackson and Justin Timberlake. I was there with my friends.’

Morgan sneers back: ‘Mate, it’s not my fault [they] hadn’t a clue who you were! Try being more successful.’

He went on: ‘Nor is it my fault I have 1.3m more followers than you. It’s called ‘popularity’. Now go home.’

'Factual note: A few hours later, Clarkson’s three messages have been ‘re-tweeted’ (i.e. passed on by other people), more than 38,000 times. Meanwhile Morgan’s seven effusions have had just 1,700 re-tweets, in total. So you’re not that popular, Piers.

But there is more.

‘I’m going to bed now, happy at the news from CNN insiders that Piers Morgan will soon be sacked,’ tweets Clarkson, evidently pleased with his day’s work. But before he retires, he adds: ‘Piers. Let’s finish it with this. Your show attracts a global audience less than Cash in the Attic. That’s why you’re going to be sacked.’

Morgan responds, ‘Cash in the Attic gets 500m viewers?’

Clarkson: ‘Piers claims his show gets 500m viewers. Hahahahahaha. It’s 110,000 on good day. About 380m behind Top Gear.’

Round 12: October 31, 2013

Morgan is ranked the 8th most influential Twitterer in Britain, ahead of Clarkson in 38th position.

Naturally he feels obliged to tweet a message to Clarkson: ‘Hi mate hope you’re OK. Must be a difficult day. Thoughts with you.’

Round 13: February 24, 2014

Following CNN's decision to axe Piers Morgan's show, Clarkson wrote on Twitter: 'I'm feeling strangely contented this morning. I wonder if something wonderful has happened somewhere.'

He later tweeted: 'I understand that Nigerian TV is looking for a new chat show host. Anyone got any suggestions?'

Joy: Following CNN's decision to axe Piers Morgan's show (pictured), Clarkson wrote on Twitter: 'I'm feeling strangely contented this morning. I wonder if something wonderful has happened somewhere'

Round 14: March 24, 2014

While landing safely in a plane in Russia, Clarkson posts a photograph on Twitter, captioned: 'The oxygen masks have deployed. Goodbye everyone.'

Only minutes before the post, Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak had taken part in an emergency press conference to declare that after weeks of searching, it had been concluded that the missing flight MH370 had plunged into the Indian Ocean, leaving no survivors among its 239 passengers.

Clarkson's tweet sparked outrage, with Morgan one of the first to attack him, calling the tweet 'Utterly shameful'.

Clarkson responded by threatening Morgan, saying: 'If you don't shut up, I shall start to reveal details of your past life that would make you VERY unhappy.'

Morgan them posted a old photograph of a young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Clarkson, captioning it: 'Is it as shameful as YOUR secret past, Jennifer?'

Round 15: May 2, 2014

After a video published online appeared to show Clarkson using the n-word while reciting the children's nursery rhyme 'eeny meeny miny moe', Morgan called for him to be sacked by the BBC.

Accusing Top Gear of being 'laced with casual racism for years', Morgan tweeted: 'Ron Atkinson was fired by @ITV for using the N-word. Don't see how the BBC can avoid firing @JeremyClarkson if he did the same.'

He later added: 'So it's OK because Clarkson only MUMBLES the N-word? Got it. Let's see him mumble that rhyme to his 'hero' @didierdrogba then.

Following the incident Clarkson ‘begged’ for public
forgiveness, realising a video statement saying he is ‘mortified and horrified’ that
it sounded as though he did had used racist language.

Race row: Last month Morgan called for Clarkson to be sacked by the BBC for appearing to use the n-word. Following the incident Clarkson 'begged' for public forgiveness in a video statement (pictured)